SLIGO ROVERS MOVED to the top of the Airtricity League Premier Division as leaders Shamrock Rovers crumbled in the face of a five-star performance by St Patrick’s Athletic.
Nineteen-year-old Christopher Forrester and striker Christy Fagan played a starring role for the super Saints with two goals apiece in a 5-1 rout of their south Dublin rivals.
It took Forrester less than four minutes to open the scoring and set the tone for a tortuous night for his opposite number, Rovers’ left-full Killian Brennan. Cutting back in from the right, the winger struck a brilliant shot which dipped inside Oscar Jansson’s post and left the keeper with no chance.
John Russell doubled Pat’s advantage from close range after more great work by Forrester before the youngster wowed the crowd with an audacious lob from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 in the 40th minute.
Rovers pulled one back through a Ken Oman header on the stroke of half-time, and though they came into the game after the restart, they were sucker-punched twice on the break by Fagan, who finished coolly on both occasions.
“We just wanted to put on a performance after last week,” man of the match James Chambers told RTÉ afterwards. “We set ourselves a benchmark and we wanted to reach that again. I think tonight that we reached that and we surpassed it, so we’re delighted.
We’re only six games in and Rovers are still a very, very good side. We’re just delighted ourselves with the win and with the performance.
In the Carlisle Grounds, goals in either half from Raf Cretaro and the in-form Danny North gave Sligo Rovers a 2-1 win against Bray and opened up a three-point lead at the top of the table.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Cretaro thundered forward to head home Alan Keane’s cross, but found themselves back on level terms quite quickly as a mistake by Gavin Peers gifted Marty Waters an equaliser. Sligo’s winner came in the 49th minute through Danny North, his third in two games.
Drogheda United kept in touch with the league’s big boys at the top of the table thanks to a 1-0 win against Monaghan United in Gortakeegan. Declan “Fabio” O’Brien struck two minutes before the break for the game’s only goal, rounding Mons keeper Chris Bennion to score.
Cork City’s dismal start to the season continued as Dinny Corcoran scored Bohemian’s first goal in over eight hours of league football to give the Dubliners a 1-0 win in Dalymount Park. Bohs’ route one approach paid dividends on the stroke of half-time as Corcoran beat Dan Murray to a long ball before finishing past Mark McNulty in the City goal.
That result leaves Tommy Dunne’s men bottom of the Premier Division table with just two points to show from their opening six games.
In the evening’s other Premier Division games, it finished scoreless at the Brandywell between Derry City and UCD, while Dundalk and Shelbourne also played out a 0-0 draw.
Longford Town moved three points clear at the top of the Airtricity League First Division with a 2-1 win away to fellow promotion rivals Limerick FC. A Danny Furlong goal gave Wexford Youths a 1-0 win on the road against Athlone Town, while Finn Harps moved up to fourth place with a 3-0 win at home to SD Galway.
Mervue United picked up their first point of the season but remain bottom after a 0-0 draw at home to Waterford United.
Results
Premier Division
- St Patrick’s Athletic 5-1 Shamrock Rovers
- Bohemian FC 1-0 Cork City
- Bray Wanderers 1-2 Sligo Rovers
- Derry City0-0 UCD
- Dundalk 0-0 Shelbourne
- Monaghan United 0-1 Drogheda United
First Division
- Athlone Town 0-1 Wexford Youths
- Limerick 1-2 Longford Town
- Mervue United 0-0 Waterford United
- Finn Harps 3-0 SD Galway
